At about 11:30 a.m., on June 24, 1934, Captain H. H. Mills of the 118th Observation Squadron of the Connecticut National Guard was piloting a Douglas observation plane over the new municipal airfield in Rutland, Vermont, as part of the field’s dedication exercises.

At the same time, a Bellanca monoplane with two men aboard was also in the area on a photographic survey mission for the government.

For reason’s not determined, the two aircraft collided head-on at an altitude of 5,000 feet over the airport. The impact ejected Captain Mills from his aircraft and he found himself hurling through space dazed from an head wound. Fortunately he was able to release his parachute and land safely. His airplane came down in the center of the airport and was destroyed.

The Bellanca disintegrated as it came down, dropping its engine and two occupants before striking the ground on a farm about a mile from the airport. Both men were killed.

The dead were identified as W.H. McMullen, the pilot, and R.L. Oakes, the photographer. Both were from New York City.

Source: New York Times, “Two Die As Planes Crash at 5,000 Feet”, June 25, 1934

On April 23, 1931, a flight instructor and his student were injured when their aircraft crashed at Berlin Corners, Vermont, about four miles from Montpelier. The injured were Emery Dennis, the instructor, and Fred Osborne, his student. Dennis suffered a fractured skull and broken leg. Both were transported to Montpelier hospital.

On October 24, 1945, a U.S. Navy Helldiver left Burlington, Vt., headed for Quonset Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, when it crashed into South Mountain at the 2,300 foot level, cutting a wide path and scattering wreckage over a large area. Both men aboard were killed.

150 searchers found the wreck site after two days.

The pilot was Ensign Walter G. Smith, Jr., 22, of Kansas City, Mo.

The passenger was 28-year-old Lt. Cmdr. Maurice M. Stone of Raleigh, North Carolina. Stone was the executive officer of a squadron based at Quonset Point, and had arrived in Burlington with his squadron for Navy Day exercises. At some point his hand became infected, and he was being flown to R.I. for treatment when the accident occurred.

Stone was a veteran of the first aircraft carrier based attack on Tokyo, Japan. He was survived by his wife Maureen (Smith) Stone. He’s buried in Savannah, Georgia.

On November 4, 1959, a twin-engine Army plane on its way to Fort Monmouth, N.J., developed engine trouble and crash landed on a farm injuring one of the passengers aboard, Brig. General Charles M. Baer, who suffered cuts to his head and face. The others aboard, Lt. Col. Herbert F. Hartzel, Captain Charles McGee (pilot) and co-pilot Louis Galambos were uninjured.

At 11 a.m. on November 14, 1927, a small plane carrying Reuben S. Sleight, and piloted by Lieutenant Franklin Wolfe, was attempting to land at Montpelier Field when it crashed and flipped over, killing Sleight.

Mr. Sleight was an assistant to then Secretary Herbert Hoover, and was on his way to prepare for a meeting between Secretary Hoover, Governor Weeks, and Attorney General Sargent on flood relief problems in the area.

Source: New York Times, “Hoover Aide Killed In Vermont Flight”, November 15, 1927

On September 13, 1947, two brothers, Leroy B. Church, 38, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Clarence Bruce Church, 40, of New York City, rented an airplane in Westfield, Massachusetts, for a flight to Poughkeepsie, New York. While en-route to their destination they encountered severe weather and crashed in a remote wooded area near the small town of Wardsboro, Vermont. Both were killed.

Source: New York Times, “Brothers Die In Crash”, September 15, 1947

Updated April 12, 2017

The aircraft involved in this accident had been seen circling the town of Wardsboro. At approximately 7 p.m., a housewife saw the aircraft go down, and notified the local telephone operator who then notified authorities. A search party of between 40 to 50 volunteers trekked into the now dark woods in search of the wreck. The plane was located in a wooded area about a half-mile from a road.

Clarence Church was a manager at the IBM company in New York City.

Leroy Church was an inspector for Pratt-Whitney Aircraft in Massachusetts.

On the morning of June 13, 1953, a single-engine airplane with two men aboard took off from Mahwah Airfield near Nyack, New York, and flew to Warren, Vermont, where the pilot, Fremont L. Lovett, 64, owned property that contained a private airstrip. At noontime, Mr. Lovett and his passenger, True C. Morrill, 65, crashed during take off for the return trip. Both were killed.

Mr. Lovett was a highly successful and well known businessmen who directed three public utilities, and Mr. Morrill was a college Dean at Bergen Junior College in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Source: New York Times, “F. L. Lovett Killed In Crash Of Plane”, June 14, 1953.

One source describing this tragedy states it occurred at a new airport dedication in Brattleboro, but another states it was an aircraft meet sponsored by the Brattleboro Outing Club to demonstrate the safety of aviation. In either case, eight aircraft were scheduled to participate in the activities, but only seven actually did.

During the morning of August 18, 1922, between six and seven thousand people gathered to witness the air show which was to include various forms of stunt flying. Also in attendance was Vermont’s Governor, James Hartness, a strong supporter of the advancement of Vermont aviation.

At the opening ceremonies, Miss Evelyn Harris, 25, the sister of Fred H. Harris, the president of the Brattleboro Outing Club, had the honor of raising the American flag while the Governor gave his address.

Towards the later afternoon, while four other planes were still stunt flying over the field, a Curtis Oriole C6 airplane prepared for take off. The pilot was Benjamin Hughes of Long Island, N.Y. His three passengers included Miss Harris, James Trahan, and his 5-year-old son, Norman.

As the airplane left the ground, a wheel caught the top of an Elm tree sending the plane into some high tension wires which set it ablaze. Hughes was thrown clear in the impact, but the others found themselves trapped in the aircraft. Although injured himself, Hughes tried to rescue the passengers, but was unsuccessful, and suffered serious burns in the process.

Sources:

New York Times, Plane Crashes At Opening Of Vermont Field; Man And Son Killed, Girl Fatally Burned”, August 19, 1922

New York Times, “Third Victim Of Airplane Crash Dies”, August 19, 1922

On the night of October 7, 1966, a Piper Comanche carrying three Canadian citizens crashed into Mount Mansfield, the state’s highest mountain. The plane impacted roughly five hundred feet from the summit on the Underhill, Vermont, side. There were no survivors.

The dead were identified as, (pilot) David Shefler, 42, Robert Rosen, 46, and Mary Pert, 30.

At 8:43 p.m. on July 1, 1957, a young couple on their way home from their honeymoon in Nantucket, Massachusetts, took off in a single-engine Stinson Voyager airplane from the Worcester (Mass.) Airport bound for upstate New York. They were scheduled to reach their destination at 10 p.m.. However, while over Brattleboro, Vermont, the husband reported that they’d encountered strong headwinds and their arrival would be delayed. When the aircraft never arrived it was reported missing.

What followed was a large scale search that lasted four days. The wreckage was discovered on July 4th in a thickly wooded area near the Somerset Reservoir in the town of Somerset. The bodies of the couple, Mark and Joan (Whiting) Larue of Hudson Falls, New York, were found inside. They’d been married just two weeks.

It was surmised that the plane had been caught in a gust of wind and forced into a nose dive when the accident occurred. There was no fire after the impact.

Sources:

Schenectady Gazette, “Hunt For Newlyweds In Missing Plane To Be Resumed Today”, July 2, 1957

On July 26, 1930, a plane carrying two men left Athol, Massachusetts, bound for Springfield, Vermont. As the plane was circling to land at the Springfield Airport, (Today known as Hartness State Airport.) it suddenly went into a spin and crashed in a field next to the airport. Both men were killed.

The dead were identified as (Pilot) Wayne Tatcher, and his passenger, Dr. Clarence M. Taft, both of Athol, Mass.

Source:, New York Times, “Vermont Crash Kills Two”, July 27, 1930

Updated April 12, 2017

The aircraft involved in this accident was a de Havilland Moth bi-plane, powered by a four-cylinder engine. It crashed on property owned by Winifred McCann located next to the airport. According to witnesses, the aircraft had circled over the field at an altitude of about 200 feet before banking into a left turn, where it suddenly went into a spin and crashed.

The accident was investigated by Inspector Robert Hoyt of the Department of Commerce.

On April 7, 1978, a small plane carrying two men took off from Stratford, Connecticut, bound for Edward F. Knapp Airport in Berlin, Vermont. The plane crashed in dense fog in a wooded area near the airport. Both men were killed.

The dead were identified as Paul Krupp, 37, of Westport, Connecticut, and John Thebobo, 40, of Norwalk, Connecticut.

First responders had to use snowmobiles to reach the wreck site.

Source: New York Times, “Airplane Crashes In Vermont, Killing The 2 Persons Aboard.” April 8, 1978

On December 18, 1930, three men were flying over the town of Bellows Falls, Vermont, when their plane crashed next to the Connecticut River just after it passed over the home of Mrs. George P. Kenyon, who happened to be the aunt of the pilot, Fred M. Greenwood.

Greenwood survived with minor injuries, but his two passengers, Carlton Wright, and Arnold Knowlton, both of Saxton’s River, Vermont, were killed.

Source: New York Times, “Two Men Lose Lives In Vermont As Craft Dives Near Bellows Falls” December 19, 1930

On November 18, 1973, three Dartmouth College students left Lebanon, New Hampshire, bound for Schenectady, New York, in a single-engine Piper Cherokee. The aircraft belonged to the Dartmouth Flying Club. As the plane was passing over the Manchester, Vermont, area it crashed into 3,880 foot Mount Equinox. All three men were killed in the crash.

The students were identified as:

Edwin Estepa, 19, of the Bronx, New York.

James M. Dougherty, 21, of Feura Bush, New York.

Charles Alpert, 18, of Westfield, New Jersey.

Sources:

New York Times, “3 Dartmouth Students Die In Vermont Plane Crash” November 19, 1973

On September 2, 1930, Mr. and Mrs. William Vaughan and their friend, Howard Chandler, were traveling in an automobile headed to the Rutland Fair when a hot air balloon suddenly crash-landed on their car, caving in the roof, and seriously injuring the occupants. The balloon was part of an act being performed at the fair, when for some reason it rapidly deflated and fell five-thousand feet before striking the auto.

There was no word on any occupants of the balloon.

Source: New York Times, “Balloon Drops On Auto”, September 3, 1930.

Updated April 12, 2017

The accident occurred around 3 p.m. The balloon had been used by DeForriest Dickinson, 21, a parachute jumper performing at the Rutland Fair. Dickinson’s act involved his being launched from a cannon suspended from the balloon while 5,000 feet above the ground. After leaving the cannon, Dickinson dropped for 1,200 feet before his parachute deployed. Upon landing he narrowly missed some electrical wires near a railroad track before alighting safely on South Main Street.

Meanwhile, his balloon lost its buoyancy and fell rapidly, crash-landing on top of the automobile occupied by the Vaughan’s, Mr. Chandler, his wife, and their 9-year-old son Russell. The balloon reportedly weighted more than 100 pounds, and when it hit, it completely enveloped the car. The impact took place at Strongs Avenue and South Main Street. Fortunately, Mr. Chandler, who was driving, was able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, thus avoiding a greater accident.

Shortly after midnight on June 14, 1947, a U.S. Air Force B-29A bomber, (44-62228), crashed into the southeast side of Hawks Mountain and exploded. All twelve men aboard were killed, and to this day the incident remains the worst aviation accident to ever occur in Vermont.

The flight had originated the previous morning when the plane took off from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, for a navigational training mission to the east coast. The plane was scheduled to land at Andrews Field (Later known as Andrews Air Force Base) in Washington, D.C., but due to bad weather was diverted to Pittsburg Airport where it arrived at 3:07 p.m. After refueling, the aircraft proceeded towards Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, where it was to remain overnight before flying back to Arizona the following day. However, the weather grew worse, and with poor visibility and darkness falling the crew became lost, ending up over Vermont instead of Massachusetts.

Just before midnight the B-29’s radio operator tried making contact with Boston, but was unsuccessful. The transmissions were picked up by Corporal Wendell J. Adams monitoring the radio at Grenier Field in Manchester, who contacted the aircraft to ask if he could be of assistance, to which he was told that he could not.

Not long afterwards citizens of Perkinsville reported hearing the B-29 circle low over the town just before the engines abruptly stopped and a huge fireball erupted on Hawks Mountain. The time was set at 12:14 a.m.

One witness to the crash was Mrs. Neil Pike, the town telephone operator, who immediately notified authorities of the crash. “I saw a big glow like a bonfire,” she told reporters, “The whole sky was lighted up.”

The B-29 was part of the 64th Bomb Squadron assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group.

The dead were identified as:

(Pilot) 1st Lt. Robert G. Fessler

(Co-pilot) 2nd Lt. Wilfred E. Gassett

(Observer) 2nd Lt. Ceasare P. Fontana

(Crew Chief) Master Sgt. D. D. Jack

T/Sgt. Paul H. Fetterhoff

T/Sgt. Clayton K. Knight

Staff Sgt. Oliver W. Hartwell

Staff Sgt. Sylvester S. Machalac

Staff Sgt. John J. O’Toole, age 23.

Cpl. Harry C. Humphrey

Cpl. Robert Clark

Pfc. Robert M. Stewart

Lieutenants Fessler, Gassett, and Fintana, as well as sergeants Fetterhoff and Macalac, are all buried together at Long Island National Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York, plot number M-25563. (See www.findagrave.com memorial # 59350421)

Staff Sergeant John O’Toole is also buried in the same cemetery, but not with the others. (see www.findagrave.com memorial #2777950)

According to Corporal Harry C. Humphrey’s tombstone, he was born June 11, 1930, which means he had just celebrated his 17th birthday at the time of his death. He’s buried in Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (See www.findagrave.com memorial # 83945570)

At 1 p.m. on May 29, 1988, a small plane left Allegheny County Airport in Pennsylvania, bound for Laconia, New Hampshire. At about 3 p.m. witnesses saw the aircraft apparently experiencing engine trouble shortly before plunging to the ground in Shaftsbury.

Although the aircraft was equipped with an emergency transponder, it took awhile to locate the wreck due to the rocky area in which it crashed, and heavy foliage on the trees.

The pilot, Harry Rhule, 52, of Cabot, Pennsylvania, was killed in the crash. There were no other persons aboard.

On the night of November 25, 1965, a single-engine Beech Bonanza with four people aboard was flying from Hartford, Connecticut, when it encountered bad weather and crashed in thick woods about one mile west of Barre-Montpelier Airport. The aircraft wreckage was found three hours later in a deep ravine between Berlin Pond and an airport light beacon.

Witnesses reported that the plane had been circling the airport when it struck one of the light beacon towers. It began to snow after the accident, which hindered search efforts.

All aboard were killed. State police did not release the names of the victims, but only stated there were two men and two women aboard.

Sources:

(Conn.) The Morning Record, “Four Perish In Air Crash In Vermont”, November 26, 1965

On June 4, 1973, a Cessna 150 with two men aboard was taking off from Smith Airport in Ludlow when the aircraft lost power just after leaving the ground. As the plane fell it clipped some power lines before crashing in a field about 1,000 feet from the end of the runway.

Those aboard were identified as Richard Freda, 41, and Kenneth Deegan, 35, both of Huntington, New York. Freda was transported to Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire, in critical condition, while Deegan was taken to Springfield Hospital where he was listed in satisfactory condition.

Source:

The Nashua Telegraph, “2 New York Men Are Injured In Vt. Plane Crash”, June 5, 1973, pg. 5

On September 2, 1913, early Vermont aviator George Schmidt, 23, of Rutland, took off at the Rutland Fairgrounds for an exhibition flight. With him was Assistant Municipal Court Judge J. Dryer Spellman, 22, also of Rutland. As the plane reached an altitude of about 500 feet the motor began to skip and miss-fire. As Schmidt was returning to the open field of the fairgrounds the plane suddenly fell and crashed to the ground.

Both pilot and passenger were trapped in the wreckage. George Schmidt had suffered a fractured skull, hip, and jaw, and died before he could be extricated. Spellman was pinned against the aircraft’s hot radiator, and although he suffered burns, he recovered from the ordeal.

George and his brother Charles are credited as being Vermont’s first aviators. In August of 1910 they made news when they purchased a Curtis-type biplane, and it was noted that at the age of 18, George was “probably the youngest aviator in the country.”

The following article appeared on page 3 of the Orleans County Monitor, August 10, 1910.

Click on images to enlarge.

According to Charles Schmidt, George Schmidt made his first airplane flight from the Rutland fairgrounds on September 1, 1910. Today there is a memorial at the entrance fairgrounds honoring both brothers as the first active aviators in Vermont.

On the evening of February 22, 1973, a Cessna 310J, (N3149L) with two persons aboard left Mt. Empire, Virginia, bound for Springfield, Vermont. At 7:00 p.m. the pilot was given clearance from the Air Traffic Control center in Nashua to land at Springfield. The weather over Vermont consisted of low cloud cover and snow conditions. When the plane failed to arrive at the airport a search and rescue effort was begun. The plane wreckage was later found on 2, 800 ft. mountain in the town of Londonderry. Both men aboard were killed.

On September 7, 1922, a “flying circus” was performing at the Rutland Fair Grounds before a crowd of 30,000 spectators when two accidents occurred.

The first involved and aircraft flown by Lieutenant Belvin W. Maynard, a.k.a. “The Flying Parson”. At about 1 p.m. Maynard and two others, Lt. L. R. Wood, and Charles Mionette, took off in an airplane to perform a series of aerial stunts for the entertainment of the fair goers. The men were familiar with the routine which they had been performing all week. The accident occurred while Maynard was performing a tail spin from an altitude of 2,000 feet. Evidently he was unable to pull out of the spin, and the aircraft plunged nose first into a cornfield at the edge of the fair grounds killing all three men.

Lt. Maynard was a veteran of World War I, but prior to the war he had studied to be a Baptist minister. He was a frequent speaker in churches, and had been scheduled to give a talk at the Rutland Baptist Church later in the day. He had also performed at least one marriage while flying his airplane over Times Square in New York, hence the nick name, “Flying Parson”.

The second accident at the fair occurred later that same day. A 43-year-old aeronaut named Smith had been giving parachute exhibitions by jumping from his balloon. After two successful jumps that afternoon, Smith did a third, but his parachute failed to open and he was killed.

Smith had been doing parachute jumps for the previous ten years. In 1920, (Exact date not known.) Smith was severely injured during one of his jumps in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Source: New York Times, “Flying Parson Dies, 3 Other Air Men Killed During Fair.”

Update: October 7, 2016

Smith’s full name was Henry A. (Daredevil) Smith of Boston, Massachusetts. He jumped from 3,500 feet and his parachute opened slightly, then closed, and failed to re-open. He hit the ground about 100 yards east of the Main Street fence of the fairgrounds.

In the accident at Lynn, Mass., he was to jump from an airplane, but the pilot lost control and crashed. Smith fell 8,00 feet and lived, but the pilot was killed.

On July 15, 1930, Frank Goldsborough and Donald Mockler were flying from Cleveland, Ohio, to Keene, New Hampshire, when they encountered fog over the Bennington region and crashed into a mountain eight miles east of Bennington. The plane had struck a tree and slid to the ground pinning Goldsborough in the wreck, but Mockler was able to extricate himself and go for help. For five hours he made his way through the woods and brush before coming to a farmhouse a mile out of Bennington.

A contingent of about 100 volunteers accompanied Mockler back into the woods to the wreck site. Progress was slow because Mockler had lost his glasses, and had trouble identifying landmarks. Sixteen hours after the crash, Goldsborough was carried down the mountain and brought to Putnam Memorial Hospital in Bennington where he died the following day.

Frank Goldsborough had recently achieved fame as the American record holder of the Junior Transcontinental Air Speed Record. He was the son of Frank Goldsborough who was himself a well known pilot, who died in December of 1927 when his aircraft disappeared off Cape Cod.

Source: New York Times, “Goldsborough Crashes In Vermont Mountain; Party Seeks Young Flier Pinned Under Plane”, July 15, 1930